


I Found You

by Naerryn



Category: Maleficent (Disney Movies)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2019-12-08
Packaged: 2021-01-21 06:56:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21295391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Naerryn/pseuds/Naerryn
Summary: Once the Princess heard the story of a lost Dark Fae, who's now the Guardian of the Kingdom of Caledonia, Aurora rushes out of the castle of Ulstead to share the unexpected news with the new Queen of the Moors, Maleficent. Will the Guardian of Caledonia turn their back on their kind and continue to live among humanity? Or will the lost piece of the puzzle finally come back home ?
Comments: 2
Kudos: 36





	1. Unexpected News

With a spring in her steps, Aurora rushed through the Moors as she started to run out of breath. Weak excuses felt from her lips whenever she ran passed one of the numerous creatures of the enchanted forest. The blue eyes of the Princess searched for any sign of the new Queen of the Moors, Maleficent.

She should have taken a horse, the blond young woman cursed herself in her thoughts. The muscles in her legs burned painfully, but all that’s on her mind was that she needed to find her Fairy Godmother. Aurora tried to ignore the pain, but when a tall figure stepped in her way, she almost collided with them as she came to a sudden halt.

“My Princess.”, the white haired Tundra Fae called Udo said calmly, a hand on his chest as he bowed lightly in front of Aurora. Her eyes glanced over the handful of young Faes that landed in the soft grass around them. “Is everything” - “Where is she?”, the former Queen of those lands gasped for air and she had to surrender to the thought of finding Maleficent on her own. The banging pain in her legs demanded a pause and the opportunity was to good to pass.

“Maleficent.”, Aurora added quickly, looking up to Udo with pleading eyes as he cupped his chin in one of his hands. “Our Majesty is currently showing a couple youngsters some flying techniques. I fear she won’t be back before dawn.”, Udo told her and raised his eyebrows when a shower of curse words reached his ears. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy, Aurora had to realize with sadness filling her heart.

“Please, it’s urgent. I need to talk to her now.”, the Princess begged him, her hands clasped into one another in front of her chest. The Tundra Fae covered himself in silence, lost in thoughts before he turned around to a young Jungle Fae, whispering something to her before she jumped into the air and flew off.

“Follow me, Princess. You must be tired from all the running.”, Udo said with an inviting gesture of his hands, waiting for the blonde woman to step next to him before the two of them started walking in one direction that brought them deeper into the Moors. The remaining young Faes walked close behind them.

Aurora was lead into familiar surroundings by the Tundra Fae, it was one of her favorite spots and her blue eyes glanced to the abandoned throne. She watched three trolls trying to climb on it, but they were stopped by a Flittle, who had recovered from the battle in Ulstead two years ago. It was all thanked to Maleficent and her unique magic.

“My dear aunts.”, the Princess called out for them when her eyes landed on Knotgrass and Thistlewit, they flew close by her sister and flipped within seconds. Once the three flower fairies reached her, they started to look for Auroras daughter, but with a sad look in their face the unlike sisters noticed that Aurora was all by herself. Minus the Faes that accompanied her.

Soon, the Princess found herself surrounded by old and new friends alike, sitting on the stairs that led to the throne as she caught up with them. Borra, who arrived not long ago in the company of Diaval, demanded to know what brought Aurora here, especially unannounced and in such a hurry.

But the Princess’ lips were sealed, along with those of Shrike. The female Jungle Fae spent more and more time in the castle, never standing to far away from a certain captain of the guards. She heard the news Aurora wanted to share with her Fairy Godmother first hand, but promised the Princess to stay quiet.

The wind picked up, first just as a fresh breeze that ghosted over Auroras skin, but soon, her long blond hair got messed up lightly from the severe wind. It came to an abrupt end once Maleficent, accompanied by a group of at least seven Faes, landed on the huge meadow.

“Beastie?”, her voice was a mixture of happiness and wonder, and she quickly closed the distance between herself and the Princess to embrace her in a tight hug.

Once the Dark Fae heard of Auroras unexpected arrival, she hurried to the throne as fast as the youngsters could follow her. It must be urgent, especially when the messenger girl couldn’t tell what brought the young human here.

“There’s another Dark Fae.”, the blond woman blurted out, a beaming smile on her face and her arms tightened around the Queen of the Moors even more.

“What?”, Maleficent didn’t trust her ears when her usually sharp mind tried to process the information delivered by the young human she considered her daughter. Another Dark Fae? How was this possible?

It had been a busy morning for Aurora, her husband Philip and King John. The gates of the palace stood wide open, many residents of the Kingdom entered and left the throne room to tell the royal crown their sorrows. Along with them came merchants, hoping to wrap up a good deal.

Among them was an elder man from Caledonia, whose voice died in their throat once his eyes landed on Shrike, who entered the throne room to steal a glance at Percival. The Jungle Fae was amused by the speechless man, while Aurora reassured him that the creatures of the Moors didn’t mean any arm.

They were surprised by his respond, to say the least. This wasn’t the first time he saw a Fae, in fact, where he’s from it’s a familiar view when dealing with the royal family of Caledonia. Their Guardian was a Dark Fae, who was found as an abandoned child during a hunt and brought to the castle. Instead of sentence the Fae to death, they were accepted into the royal family and grew up with the children of the King and Queen.

Maleficents stomach turned into a knot, it reminded her of her own fate. Her parents killed by humans when she wasn’t even one year old, left alone in the Moors, not knowing where she belonged to. Pixies, Fairies and Faes a alike muttered exited with one another and the chaos of voices caused Maleficents head to hurt.

“Where is this Caledonia?”, she raised her voice, satisfied with the result that the inhabitants of the Moors grew silent while her forest green eyes rested on Aurora.

“It’s a three day journey with the carriage.”, the Princess answered honestly, but knitted her eyebrows in a wave of frustration when he listened to her Fairy Godmothers outright laughter.

“I want to meet them, too.”, Aurora made it clear as she crossed her arms in front of her chest, not noticing Borra who walked over to them and stepped right next to his Queen.

“We could fly there and be back before nighttime, Majesty.”, he pointed out with a smirk on his face, causing the human Princess to groan in annoyance.

“We can’t just go there and steal the Guardian of a Kingdom.”, the familiar voice of Diaval reached their ears as he stood next to Aurora within a heartbeat. Now, Maleficent, was the one to groan quietly. The three of them acted sometimes like their inner voices. Pure, good and evil.

If the Dark Fae would ever find a way to bring the ones that are lost since a long time, Conall would blend in perfectly. 

The Queen of the Moors listened with half an ear to the bickering of of her closest friends and advisors, her mind was racing with her own thoughts on how to process with the current situation. Maleficent remembered only to well how overwhelmed she felt when she woke up in the underground cavern, meeting fairies just like herself for the first time.

“Enough. We will send a messenger to Caledonia with a letter, explaining everything and inviting them to Ulstead.”

“Why not the Moors?”, Borra grunted disapprovingly, bitterness written all over his face when Maleficent glanced over to him from the corner of her eyes.

“It’s neutral. At least more neutral then the Moors. Also, it gives them a choice. If we would rush and invade their live unannounced, without permission, this could backfire.”, Maleficent explained her trail of thoughts, and only a split second afterwards, the four of them began to shape a live changing letter.


	2. Chapter 2

Who doesn’t shy away from getting onto their feet early in the morning one of these days witnessed a fascinating natural spectacular. The sun set late in the evening and rose sooner with every passing day, the chances of a picturesque sky formations increased significantly. Sometimes tender, then exciting again. A purple clouded sky was worth all the waiting for the first warm sun beams of summer.

And, on rare occasions, the citizens of Caledonia would catch a glimpse of their Guardian flying through the air.

I enjoyed the peaceful silence in the early hours of the day, when only a handful of busy farmers and shopkeepers would fill the tramped down streets. The warm breeze caressing my skin and tousled my hair and the black feathers of my strong wings.

Whenever I caught side of a group of children when I was on my way back to the palace, I would descend from my flying height in the colorful clouds and hurtle through the air, right above the top of their heads. I did it for their giggles, loving the sound of the cheerful laughter which never failed to put a smile on my face.

The exotic flowers of the court garden swayed back in forth when I landed on the freshly mowed grass, shaking out my wings and watched a single dark feather slip to the ground before I drew them back into a more convenient position.

“[Y/N]?”, the familiar voice of the youngest of the two princes rung through the air, audible out of breath and when I turned around to face him, I saw the teenage boy running towards me with rosy cheeks and a faint layer of sweat covering his forehead.

“Is everything alright?”, I called out to him as I rushed to meet him at the bottom edge of the meadow, taking a deep breath of relief when I watched him nod in respond.

It’s been over 20 years since the end of the War of the Roses, which was the last time the kingdom entered a battlefield. Not even when King Henry, or later King Stephan, called for their aid against the murderous beasts of the Moors, the wise rulers of Caledonia refused. With the growing isolation, since the alienate kingdoms declared a trade blockade, the royal family along with the citizens started to embrace and later even enjoyed their new role as outcasts.

And with the increasing sense of security, the King and Queen allowed me to become publicly known within the borders of our country. The best kept secret in the history of a nation, their guardian angel. I always enjoyed the little nickname the King and Queen gave me, so, during a phase of a lean harvest, they appointed me at the Guardian of Caledonia. I flew away into the distance, leaving the borders of my home land behind and came back with bags of exotic fruits and vegetables. We cultivated them, and to our nameless relief, the plants grew and we were finally able to still the hunger of a starving nation.

All of it felt so far away, but when my eyes remained on the heavy breathing Prince Edward, my stomach twisted into a tight knot and I impatiently waited for the teenage boy to compose himself. Strands of his caramel brown hair stuck against his forehead, his clothes slightly out of place. I can’t even remember the last time I saw the Prince running around like that. It must be years.

“A messenger from Ulstead arrived since you’ve been gone. Everyone is searching for you, [Y/N]. You’ll have to go to the throne room, quick.”, the olive-skinned looked at me with his large dark eyes, resembling his mother, a noblewoman of a foreign country, more and more with every passing year.

“I’ll leave at once.”, I swept a curtsy, making a haste to traverse the many crowded hallways to reach the throne room. On my way, I am reminded countless times that everyone, from the royal family over the guards up the the lowest member of the staff, were looking for me.

‘What could be of any importance, especially delivered from Ulstead, that everyone behaved like headless chickens?’, I wondered silently and a growing feeling of worry spread in the depth of my chest. ‘Their Prince is married to this long lost Princess, their child was born months ago. We’ve sent them letters. We’ve kept to ourselves for decades. What are they after?’

I walked around the corner to enter the hallway which led to a back entrance of the throne room, solely available for the royal family and staff. To my surprise, the Queen paced up and down along the closed door and once the sound of my steps reached her ears, she turned around on the spot and exhaled a loud, joyful squeak.

“[Y/N]!”, her black hair, which slowly turned grey, felt over her shoulders in soft waves and the high heels of her uncomfortable looking shoes created a steady rhythm as she ran into my arms and embraced me in a tight hug.

Her upper body was shaking when I wrapped my arms around her, first lightly, but soon the Queen felt like a lose leaf caught in a heavy autumn storm. She nudged her face against the crook of my neck and my bare skin slowly got wet. ‘For heaven’s sake! What made her cry?’

“Mum?”, I whispered against her ear as one of my hands gently rubbed her back. The convulsive sobbing of the woman, who raised me like I am her own flesh and blood, tailed off until she went silent in my arms, pulling herself away to take a close look at my face. Her hands rested on my shoulders.

“I am so happy for you.”, the Queen spoke hoarsely and I raised a hand to wipe off the tears from her cheeks. Her lips twisted into a weak smile, lips shaking as she tried to swallow down the sob in her throat. I had a hard time believing her words, the Queen acted completely strange and her behavior only added more questions then answering them.

“What is going on? Everyone’s acting rather odd today.”, I told her, feeling the soft tips of her fingers running through my hair as her eyes roamed over my anxious face.

Like she’s watching me for the first time.

“Go inside. Your father’s waiting for you.”

Or the last…

***

Bad news travel fast and before the set of the sun, it felt like even the most remote corners of Caledonia heard the word about the Battle of Ulstead and the return of the Dark Faries. About the open invitation to the Castle, with the sole purpose to attend a meeting with the Queen of the Moors.

I sat on the lowest step which led to the throne, my face hidden behind my hands while my elbows rested on my knees. ‘This can’t be true.’, I repeated over and over inside my head, paying no attention to the busy activities around me.

In front of me, not even an arm-length away, stood small delegate of two individuals. A male human with chocolate brown skin, accompanied by a woman with a pair of large horns along with colorful wings. The King, my foster father, introduced them as Captain Percival of the royal guards of Ulstead and Shrike, a Jungle Fae, who lived in the Moors.

Growing up with the fairy tales of the monsters living in the Moors, it felt like a hard punch right into my stomach when a faint voice inside my head slowly tried to make me realize that I am one of those monsters that parents tell their children about in scary bedtime stories.

Not an angel, but a monster. A Dark Fae.

The King offered the messengers a room to retire for the night, but Shrike made it clear she won’t move, not even a single step, until I would finally decide to look at her for longer then a split second.

“Conall should be here, he would know the right words.”, the Jungle Fae muttered to herself, stretching wings in an attempt to shake the slowly spreading tiredness out of them.

Slowly, a single red feather floated through the air and landed silently on the ground, right in front of my feet and through the small gasp between my fingers, my eyes felt on it.

Lowering my hands, I picked up the single feather and turned it from side to side, my fingertips carefully running over the soft surface and glanced over to my black wings.

“You’re a Forest Fae. Just like our Queen.”, I heard the female messenger say in a gentle tone. From the corner of my eyes, I saw her closing the distance between the two of us before she bend down on one knee.

Shrike silently thanked Maleficents wisdom to only sent one of the Dark Faes to Caledonia, not listening to Borras objections. He meant well, everyone did, but she shared her Queens opinion that one of them was prove enough to their story. Also, it gave her some long yearned time alone with Percival, who insisted to accompany her.

“I know, it’s a lot. But, please, give us a chance. All we want is a little bit of your time, so we can tell you our story. Your story. If you don’t like it, you can go back. No one will force you to stay.”, Shrike told her in a low voice and placed a hand on one of my shoulders, giving it a firm squeeze.

I met her dark brown eyes, her fallen out feather still in hands.

“Okay.”


	3. The Banquet

“Why aren’t we flying to Ulstead again?”, I asked quietly as I loosened the reins of my horse to marched in step next with the horses of the Dark Fae Shrike and the human Percival. I said farewell to the royal family, my family, in the early morning and followed the two of them out of the castle gates. Now, the warm sun stood on it’s peak and we just entered the rode again after a short break in a local tavern.

“Because Percy doesn’t want me to carry him around. Even through I insisted that he’s as light as a feather to me. That’s why we traveled on horseback.”, Shrike rode in the middle of us and tried to lower her voice to a bare minimum, so the Captain of the Royal Guard of Ulstead won’t hear it.

I nodded slowly, feeling my upper thighs starting to hurt from the strange sensation caused by this traveling style. It’s been ages that I sat on a horseback the last time, I was still a child and couldn’t fly around freely within the borders of Caledonia. A time when it was easier to hide my horns and wings from preying eyes.

“How long will it take us?”

“To Ulstead? It’s a good two days ride until we pass the borders of the kingdom. Then, its just another day until we reached the castle.”, Percival answered my question and a soft sigh escaped my lips as I looked down on my aching thighs.

~

Once the Castle of Ulstead came in sight, all the nervousness I successfully suppressed the last three days arose from the depth of my heart. With every step closer, it felt wrong to be here. Like an invisible leash pulling me back towards Caledonia. Away from the Queen of the Moors waiting behind the castle walls for me, along with all those Dark Faes, and back to the safety and love of my human family.

Shrike placed a hand gently on top of mine, her knees touching mine as she guided her horse to walk close to mine. Squeezing it lightly, she removed her hand and gave me some space again, only flashing me an encouraging smile before Shrike turned around to talk to Percival about the thrill of anticipation of the comfort of her nest waiting for her.

My eyes remained on the unlike couple for a couple seconds longer, silently thanking the Jungle Fae for that small gesture, but it didn’t help much with the bittersweet taste of whats in front of me. And what I am leaving behind.

~

“Why is everyone staring at us? I thought, our kind is familiar to them.”, I looked around as I voiced my question, but both of my travel companions could only guess that everyone was looking forward to catch a glimpse of the Guardian of Caledonia.

The closer we came to the Castle, I started to notice small fairies and other fabulous beasts here and there among the crowded streets of Ulstead, even a handful of Dark Faes flying above our heads to an unknown destination.

“A Child?”, I spoke dumbfounded as I pointed into the sky, the small silhouette of a Dark Fae caught my attention as we passed the castle gates. A big, toothy smile graced Shrikes lips, giggling and nodding in responds to confirm my suspicion.

“There’s so much you have to see.”, she said before we dismounted from our horses and a small group of palace servants welcomed us. Percival almost instantly excused himself, as he needed to return to the headquarter of the Royal Guards. Shrike, on the other side, accompanied me and the servants to the guest room that was arranged for my stay.

“I won’t be at the banquet, [Y/N]. But if you want, I can come by tomorrow morning and check up on you.”, the Jungle Fae offered kindly before she waved me a quick farewell and walked down the hallway in the direction where we came from.

~

Thankfully, I was granted a couple hours to recover before I would meet the Royal Family of Ulstead along with the Queen of the Moors and her closest advisors.

I laid with my stomach on the soft mattress, arms crossed underneath my head as I tried to linger for a little bit longer in the blissful sensation of feeling cleanliness and relaxation an after an excessive bath.

The fresh air softly caressed my bare skin and my eyes roamed through the large room. I had already unpacked my bag and placed my clothes into the drawers of the wardrobe, but I didn’t felt like getting dressed properly right away.

Silently, I wished the Queen would have accompanied me. Hell, even one of the Prince’s would have been more then welcomed. I had never left Caledonia like this, only in search for seeding materials and similar stuff. But I never had to talk to anyone, let alone interact with royalty of a foreign nation.

I knew all the rules at court, how to behave and carry myself, but this guest room weren’t my chambers back in Caledonia. It didn’t smelt like it. I missed the faint scent of lavender in the air, since the Queen dried them for me and placed them in small pillows. I silently wished I would have brought one of them with me.

Through the open windows I could see the sun setting for the upcoming night, and I knew I had to start moving to not run late.

~

A tiny, curvy man dressed in the uniform of the servants walked in front of me as he guided me through the long hallways towards the dining hall. I listened with half an ear to his remarks about pictures and decoration we passed along the way as the beat of my heart rang in my ears.

Cheerful chatter filled the air while bright light shone through an open door frame onto the end of the empty corridor. The servant told me to wait before he rushed inside the room which I suspected must be the dinning hall.

“[Y/N], Guardian of Caledonia.”, I heard an unfamiliar male voice blared out from the dining hall, silencing all noises with his words and I took it as my lead to step into the lion’s den.

I felt my knees growing weak as I walked past the archway, my eyes landing on a group of six individuals that stood line in front of me.

The unfamiliar voice turned out to be another servant, who started to introduce the present guests to me. On the far left stood an elder human, which must be King John of Ulstead judging by his clothes and the prominent crown on his head. Next to him were Prince Philip and Princess Aurora, latter carried a small bundle in her arms. It wasn’t that long that the Royal Family of Caledonia send them a letter to congratulate on the birth of their child.

With a tight feeling in the chest, I locked eyes with the Queen of the Moors, Maleficent, who stood tall and proud next to Princess Aurora and was accompanied by a man called Diaval and a Dark Fae named Borra.

The long, chocolate brown hair of Maleficent felt loosely over one of her shoulders, her shoulders bare as the fabric of her floor-length black dress started right under her collarbone.

Diaval, the raven-haired man with matching dark clothes next to her looked slightly out of place and flashed me a half-smile before my eyes traveled to the dirty blond Dark Fae to his left.

The color of his wings was different compared to Maleficent’s and mine. The shade of brown reminded me of wet sand at the shore of a beach. His broad chest was barely covered, his clothes reminded me of those Shrike wore.

The auras surrounding the two Dark Faes was intimidating, but also proud. But there was also a fine distinction I couldn’t lay my finger on.

Once the room grew silent, Princess Aurora was the first one to break the silence, welcoming me among them with a bright smile on her lips.

“We hope the journey wasn’t too tiring.”, King John added to the words of his daughter-in-law and I waved it off quickly. My eyes traveled back and forth between the person who’s addressing me and the Dark Faes, who are staring back at me purse-lipped.

“Well, why aren’t we sitting down. Dinner must be ready.”, the King said and the servants along with the Royal Family and Diaval walked over to the long table.

Maleficent and Borra remained frozen on their places, and I took a couple steps forward to close the gap between us. I lightly bowed my head towards the Queen of the Moors, who blinked twice before she tilted her head to mirror my motions.

“Welcome.”, she spoke with a reserved tone of voice, but from the corner of my eyes, I saw Borra stepping from one feet to the other before he crossed his arms in front of his bare chest.

“We can leave this place and fly to the Moors whenever you’re ready.”, he said while he winked at me, earning an unsatisfied look from his Queen who tightened the grip around her wooden staff.

“[Y/N] must be tired from the long journey.”

“Yeah, which could have been avoided in the first place if”, Borra began to respond, but felt silent once Maleficent raised her eyebrows.

“Nevermind.”, he hissed quietly.

A gentle cough echoed through the air, Princess Aurora nodded towards the rest of us to take our seats at the long table as a servant took the sleeping baby out of her arms and left the dining hall.

Without another word being said for a while, I took the seat to King John’’s right side. To my surprise, Borra sat down on the chair next to mine while Maleficent lowered herself on the seat between the Princess and Diaval.

~

The dinner was long over when King excused himself to his chambers, followed by his son while Princess Aurora remained with us in the dinning hall.

I was closely listening to the story how Diaval and Maleficent met each other all those years ago, and I was surprised, to say the least, that Diaval wasn’t human, but a crow in reality.

Diaval started to count a list of various animals he was turned into, as my eyes glanced to the side to watch Borra shifting around uncomfortably on his seat. He looked the most out of place in the luxurious dinning hall from the small group surrounding me.

From the corner of his eyes, we looked back at me and a tired half-smile graced his chapped lips.

“This is so stupid.”, he growled with darting eyes towards the raven-haired man on the other side of the table, his forehead leaning against the back of his hand as the Dark Fae tilted his head to the side while his elbow rested on the armrest.

“I think it’s rather entertaining. I’ve never spoken to a crow.”, I whispered with a faint smile, earning a soft sigh from Borra along with the roll of his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but no word left his lips as his Queen raised her own voice.

“It’s time for us to go home. You’re invited to come to the Moors tomorrow evening to join our festivities.”

“What are you celebrating?”, I asked and watched Maleficent, Diaval and Borra raising from their seats. The bright red lips of the Queen of the Moors formed into a thin smile, she turned around and walked out of the dining hall with long steps.

Diaval followed her close by, while Borra stopped for the blink of the eye in the middle of the archway and glanced back at me over one of his shoulders. The three of them quickly were out of my side and soon after, their footsteps from the long hallway grew silent.

A deep sigh reminded me that Princess Aurora was still present in the room, and a tired smile was written on her lips.

“This went surprisingly good.”, she spoke to herself before she lifted her view and met my eyes, her smile growing bigger.

“It’s wonderful to have you here, [Y/N].”, the Princess said as she slowly stood up from her chair, wishing me a good night and leaving for the other side of the dining hall while a servant politely begged me to follow him back to my room.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find more of my writing on http://www.naerryn.tumblr.com


End file.
